Category: The Holy Ghost

The Spiritual Dexterity of Our Physical Posterity #32

Friday, June 19, 2026

“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word” (Psalm 119:9 KJV).

If our physical posterity could augment its spiritual dexterity, exactly what would that entail?

Since the vast majority of church-goers (wrongly) assume they can live the Christian life (“I am trying my best to live for God!”), non-Christians deduce Christianity is “just another religion.” What a shame! The Bible simply does not get a fair hearing because the Holy Spirit is prohibited from teaching and Jesus Christ is prevented from living His life. Professing Christians are teaching what they want, and living how they please, so Satan’s policy of evil stays unabated—and non-Christians are absolutely turned off to faith in Christ because Christians themselves are not trusting Christ! Dear young reader, if we want to make a difference in this world for God’s glory, we must depend on the Lord’s wisdom and the Lord’s power; human wisdom and human effort are not Christian living, but Adamic living.

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). “When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:4). “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Colossians 3:16). “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;…” (Ephesians 5:18,19). “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness…. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Romans 8:10,14).

No amount of works-religion or law-based efforts will ever compare to this true Christian living….

The Spiritual Dexterity of Our Physical Posterity #28

Monday, June 15, 2026

“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word” (Psalm 119:9 KJV).

If our physical posterity could augment its spiritual dexterity, exactly what would that entail?

According to Romans chapter 6, Calvary’s cross is the foundation for victorious Christian/grace living. It is where Christ performed and finished His work to pay for our sins—so we could die with Him to sin’s power, be buried with Him, and be raised again with Him to “walk in newness of life.” “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof” (verses 11,12). “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (verse 23).

Yet, two groups converted under Paul’s ministry believed they could live the Christian life. Defined in Romans chapter 7, Paul himself had been confused in this way—and how he was such a defeated, disappointed, depressed soul! He did not walk according to the grace truths of chapter 6, and the only way out of the trap was to re-learn them as presented and amplified in chapter 8: “Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify [put to death] the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Romans 8:12-14).

Human nature, the sin nature we have inherited from Adam, has two extremes. One is lasciviousness, as in loose, crazy, wild conduct (humanism/philosophy)—and that would be the Corinthians who lived in the very depths of sin. The other is ascetism, which is strict works-religion or legalism (Law)—and that would be the Galatians who lived in the very depths of self-righteousness. Both groups were stuck in the misery and hopelessness of Romans chapter 7, trying and failing to copy Jesus Christ’s life when only He can live the Christian (His) life!

To repeat, victorious Christian living or grace living is Romans truth, found in Paul’s most basic epistle….

The Spiritual Dexterity of Our Physical Posterity #27

Sunday, June 14, 2026

“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word” (Psalm 119:9 KJV).

If our physical posterity could augment its spiritual dexterity, exactly what would that entail?

Christendom is two billion well-intentioned people who assume they need to “follow Jesus” according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. They never appreciate how those Four Gospel Records are Judaism and the Law of Moses (see Matthew 8:4; Mark 1:44; Luke 5:14; Galatians 4:4). Yet, the Dispensation of the Grace of God (Ephesians 3:2), Romans to Philemon, proves we are not under the Law but under Grace.

“For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid” (Romans 6:14,15). “But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law” (Galatians 5:18). “Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to [separated from] the law by the body of Christ [His crosswork]; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God” (Romans 7:4). Law-works and Grace are incompatible, as Romans 11:6 affirms: “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.”

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:1-4). Our flesh cannot keep the Law, leading to defeat, disappointment, and misery. However, victorious Christian living is grace living, filled with or controlled by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18) who works in us via Christ’s finished crosswork as sufficient payment for our sins….

The Spiritual Dexterity of Our Physical Posterity #14

Sunday, May 31, 2026

“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word” (Psalm 119:9 KJV).

If our physical posterity could augment its spiritual dexterity, exactly what would that entail?

Dear young reader, abstain from all drugs and alcohol. Cigarettes and vapes contain poisonous, addictive chemicals that increase the risk of various cancers (mouth, throat, tongue, et cetera). Intoxicating beverages shrink the brain, destroy the liver, stress out the heart, and negatively affect the stomach. All these products age the body, people ending up ill in a hospital or prematurely dead in a morgue. Frankly, you can locate millions of individuals today whose bodies are permanently disfigured or ruined because of drugs and alcohol (cf. 1 Corinthians 11:30)—missing limbs, blindness, extensive scarring, cirrhosis, brain damage, and a plethora of additional health complications. Some are even doomed to live with the knowledge of having taken other’s lives. I have a friend who repeatedly overdosed on illegal drugs, almost dying on those occasions. A lady I knew smoked cigarettes for 50 years, nearly perished because of diminished lung capacity, quit smoking, and then spent her last 20 years finding it increasingly harder to breathe!

Since it is human nature to seek entertainment—to be thrilled, frightened, delighted, and so on—drugs and alcoholic beverages are tremendously appealing. Yet, Paul the Apostle reasoned: “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power [mastery, control, domination] of any” (1 Corinthians 6:12). Indeed, there is freedom under grace, but the absence of an express prohibition does not necessarily mean an action is “expedient” (profitable, useful, beneficial). Once identified, any and all addictions should be avoided. As opposed to being under the influence of wine (or any other mind-altering substance/addiction), the Holy Spirit should control our thinking and conduct: “See then that ye walk circumspectly [cautiously, looking around], not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;…” (Ephesians 5:15-18).

NOTE: In order to bring you a special study tomorrow (a commemoration of 15 full years of “333 Words of Grace!”), we will temporarily break away from this devotionals arc….

Zealously Affected #35

Friday, March 27, 2026

“They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them. But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you” (Galatians 4:17,18 KJV).

Let us see if we can identify and comprehend the dangers of relying on emotions….

In Mormonism, “burning in the bosom” is a sensation of peace and warmth regarded as confirmation that the Holy Spirit works and guides. This “burning” might simply be acid reflux, gas, or indigestion… not necessarily the Holy Spirit. Remember, every world religion has its “peace and warmth,” which means nothing if it is a system of lies!

Looking at the Bible, the final authority in all matters of faith and practice, we see it is more advantageous to have objective verses, not feelings, to verify the Holy Spirit’s influence: “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be” (Romans 8:5-7). To “mind” the things of the Spirit is to exercise the renewed mind—entertaining thoughts that correspond to the Word of God rightly divided, and acting by faith according to these thoughts.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:1,2). “Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:13-16).

Emotions are fickle. Take heed, lest you base your Christian life upon them!

-FINIS!-

Heir by Position, Pauper by Practice #5

Friday, January 9, 2026

“Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ” (Galatians 4:7 KJV).

Saints, we in Christ are spiritual winners and heirs by position, but we can choose to be spiritual losers and paupers by practice!

Two passages that will revolutionize our Bible understanding (if we allow them) are Acts 3:21 and Romans 16:25,26. “Whom [Jesus Christ] the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:21). Prophecy, or the prophetic program, is the information God has made known since He created and placed man on the Earth: this information governs and describes His work on Earth, and has the nation Israel at its heart. “Now to him [Father God] that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:…” (Romans 16:25,26). While God was revealing prophecy, He was keeping a secret (what Ephesians 1:9 calls “the mystery [secret] of his will”). The mystery program, or mystery, is the information God kept secret since He created and placed man on the Earth, which He later revealed first to the Apostle Paul in Acts chapter 9 onward: this information governs and describes His work in Heaven, and has the Church the Body of Christ at its heart.

Prophecy and mystery must be “rightly divided” as 2 Timothy 2:15 explains: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” Any and all blending of that which God has separated is sure to confuse the Bible reader—and this is precisely what led to Christendom’s tens of thousands of ignorant denominations. Mystery truth or Pauline truth, Romans to Philemon, is what God is doing today….

Heir by Position, Pauper by Practice #4

Thursday, January 8, 2026

“Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ” (Galatians 4:7 KJV).

Saints, we in Christ are spiritual winners and heirs by position, but we can choose to be spiritual losers and paupers by practice!

Carefully re-read Galatians 3:22–4:7, and observe how it parallels and re-states Romans: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together” (Romans 8:14-17). Romans chapter 8 is victorious Christian/grace living or Christian service. The indwelling Holy Spirit works in the believer to lead and empower.

When the Bible refers to believers in Christ as “the sons of God” (John 1:12; Romans 8:14,19; Philippians 2:15; 1 John 3:1,2), it underscores how their Heavenly Father (God) has qualified them to be in the “family business.” The Lord Jesus Christ Himself highlighted this principle in His own life in Luke 2:49: “How is it that ye sought me? wist [recognized] ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?” Link this to the title “Abba, Father” in Mark 14:36 (“Abba” is Aramaic for “father”), Romans 8:15, and Galatians 4:6. What Christ declared, the Holy Spirit states it in us believers, and we the believers also affirm it by drawing on the Holy Spirit’s power.

Exactly what is this “family business?” God the Father has a plan to exalt or glorify God the Son (Jesus Christ) in Heaven and Earth by creating and maintaining two entities or groups of redeemed (bought-back-from-sin) people. Ephesians 1:9,10: “Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:…” (cf. Philippians 2:9-11).

Dispensational Bible study enhances our awareness of what is taking place in the Scriptures….

A Book That Will Teach

Saturday, January 3, 2026

“Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual” (1 Corinthians 2:13 KJV).

Today’s Scripture tells us who alone we can trust to teach us God’s truth!

Once, I heard a minister give his self-proclaimed “prophetic” message about top headlines that would appear in the coming year. While he reassured his audience that he received this information directly from “the Lord” (?), he gave a disclaimer: “I do not know, but at the end of this year, we will see if what I say came to pass.” Unlike the inner impressions and hunches of this “Christian” preacher, the Holy Bible is infallible, and we can trust its information completely.

Long, long ago, God Almighty wrote a Book, and He preserved it through history through a multiplicity of manuscript copies, so that it could eventually be translated into English, so we could read it even today! (Of course, Satan, the master counterfeiter that he is, most certainly had his own manuscripts—they still circulate today as corrupt Bible translations.) God promised to preserve His words forever (Psalm 12:6,7; Isaiah 30:8; Matthew 24:35; 1 Peter 1:25). Consequently, every person will stand before Him one day to give account as to what he or she did with that Bible. Did we reject it in favor of counterfeits? Did we re-translate it to fit our denominational beliefs? Did we apply it to life by faith? Did we even read it at all?

As English-speaking people, we understand—or, at least, we should understand—that we can trust the 400-year-old King James Bible. Sadly, even in many church circles, we are often cautioned not to trust God’s preserved Word. Unfortunately, footnotes, study notes, and seminarians usually attempt to claim that authority by offering “better” readings or “better” manuscripts. Beloved, we can do without unbelieving textual critics and their “scholarship.” God does not need lost people to explain His Word to His children; He never did and He never will (1 Corinthians 2:14). Never forget that!

The Holy Spirit will teach us the King James Bible if we “read” (Ephesians 3:4), “study” (2 Timothy 2:15), and “consider” it (2 Timothy 2:7)!

The Word Was Made Flesh

Thursday, December 25, 2025

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us…” (John 1:1,14 KJV).

On this Christmas Day, we reflect on the incarnation of Jesus Christ.

The candidate who could solve man’s sin problem had to meet two requirements. He had to be God, and He had to be man—a “God-Man.” It had to be God, because God’s righteousness had to be satisfied, but it also had to be man, for it was man who had sinned. God’s righteousness was offended, since “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). But, it was also a man who had sinned, “As by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12).

Consider Philippians 2:5-8: “Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” In short, heaven’s best—Jesus Christ—came to save earth’s worst—us! In summary, Jesus Christ was born to die for us.

Brethren, the salvation that we enjoy today in Christ could not be possible without the shed blood of Christ on Calvary’s cross, and the shed blood of Christ could not be possible without the incarnation of Christ! God is a Spirit (John 4:24), and in order for Him to shed sinless blood, He had to first have blood. Thus, it behooved Jesus Christ to take upon Himself the form of a man. It was at this time of year that God the Son entered the virgin Mary’s womb, possessing a body that was conceived by the Holy Ghost.

Remember, “The Word was made flesh” (today’s Scripture) so we could have an opportunity to be “made the righteousness of God in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Merry Christmas!

*Adapted from a larger Bible study with the same name. It can be read here or watched here.

The Virgin Conception of Christ

Thursday, December 18, 2025

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14 KJV).

While Christendom speaks of the “virgin birth of Christ,” according to today’s Scripture, a more accurate term would be the “virgin conception of Christ.” There was nothing unusual about Christ’s birth; it was His conception that was unique because there was no human father!

Interestingly, today’s Scripture has been the point of controversy for over a century (to Satan’s delight!). Some modern Bibles (RSV, NRSV, et al.) translate the Hebrew word here translated “virgin” as the vague “young woman,” thereby leaving room for the heretical idea that Joseph was Jesus’ biological father (and denying Christ’s deity)! If someone ever tells you almah (the Hebrew word translated “virgin”) can mean “young woman” or “virgin,” they are right, but point out that the key to choosing the right translation is not up to a translator, but rather the Holy Ghost!

The author of Matthew’s Gospel, filled with the Holy Ghost, knew which translation—“young woman” or “virgin”—was what God had intended in Isaiah 7:14. If we want to know what God meant in Isaiah 7:14, why not ask God?

“Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, “Behold a virgin shall be with child…” (Matthew 1:22,23a). The Greek word translated “virgin,” parthenos, can only mean “virgin,” not “young woman.” Isaiah was prophesying a virgin, indicated by the words “firstborn son” (Matthew 1:25; Luke 2:7) and “Joseph knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son” (Matthew 1:25). Isaiah 7:14 meant “virgin,” as indicated by Luke 1:34, for Mary “knew not a man.” Again, the Bible is clear that Joseph was not Jesus’ biological father.

Matthew 1:23 indisputably proves that almah in Isaiah 7:14 did not simply mean a “young woman,” who may or may not be sexually pure, but “a virgin,” a woman who never had any sexual intercourse. The Holy Ghost, not Joseph, was the Father of Jesus’ body (Matthew 1:18-20).

For more information, see our archived Bible Q&A: “What is the real Immaculate Conception?”